Disney 1.2TB Slack Leak

An activist hacking group has claimed responsibility for leaking thousands of Disney’s internal messaging channels, which reportedly contain information about unreleased projects, raw images, computer codes, and some logins.

Nullbulge, the self-proclaimed “hacktivist group,” stated that it accessed and leaked approximately 1.2 terabytes of data from Disney’s Slack, a communication platform. According to an email from the group, they gained access through a person with Slack access who had cookies. The email also mentioned that the group is based in Russia.

“The user was aware we had them; he tried to kick us out once but let us walk right back in before the second time,” the email said.

Disney has acknowledged the situation and is currently investigating the matter. The company’s vast entertainment empire includes ESPN, Hulu, Disney+, and ABC News, among others.

The hacking group cited their motivation as a desire to protect artists’ rights and ensure fair compensation for their work, particularly in the context of the growing influence of artificial intelligence.

“Disney was our target due to how it handles artist contracts, its approach to AI, and its blatant disregard for the consumer,” the group stated in their email.

Nullbulge had been hinting at the impending data release for several weeks on social media. In June, the group posted what appeared to be visitor, booking, and revenue data from Disneyland Paris on their X account.

The role of artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry has been a contentious issue, particularly during negotiations involving the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America. Writers are concerned about the potential for AI, such as ChatGPT, to write scripts, while actors fear that CGI could replace them entirely.

The hackers explained that they chose to leak the data rather than make demands of Disney, believing that the company would immediately lock down and counteract any threats.

“If we said ‘Hello Disney, we have all your Slack data,’ they would instantly lock down and try to take us out. In a duel, you better fire first,” the email said.

This incident is reminiscent of the 2014 Sony Pictures hack linked to North Korea, which resulted in the exposure of emails from company executives, celebrity aliases, social security numbers, and entire movie scripts.